Services for spontaneous collaboration

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, and computer programs for servicing and/or providing spontaneous collaboration between a shopper and consultants concerning a shopping goal. Information about the shopper&#39;s physical or logical proximity to a particular product category, combined with the current contents of his or her shopping cart is used to determine one or more shopping goals. Information about each potential consultant, including physical proximity, willingness to consult, areas of expertise and recent experience is used to rank each consultant in terms of relevance to one or more shopping goal. Communication is established between the shopper and one or more consultants in order that consulting services be provided. Consultants&#39; evaluations are maintained persistently for use in future ranking. In some cases collaboration is coordinated by a service bureau.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to servicing and/or providingfor establishing collaboration, and, more specifically, to establishingcollaboration between shoppers for information, products and services.In some cases the collaboration is coordinated by a service bureau.

BACKGROUND

The retail shopping experience at the turn of the twentieth century wasvery different from that of today. The range of options presented by thetypical retail establishment was very limited; store personnel weretypically very knowledgeable about the products in the store, especiallytheir areas of expertise. Stores were small and easily comprehended.Often, conversations could be struck up between shoppers so thatexperience could be shared.

Today, the in-person retail experience is often of an overwhelming rangeof choices and with few store personnel of limited knowledge of stockedproducts. Although spontaneous consulting with other shoppers doeshappen it is difficult to find other shoppers with relevant experiencebecause of the great variety of goals represented by the shoppers of anenormous store. Increasingly, shoppers shop online, where the range ofalternatives is even greater and the ability to consult with othershoppers or store personnel is virtually nonexistent.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention addresses the above-mentioned inadequacies of theconventional in-store and online retail experience by automaticallyidentifying consultants whose expertise is likely to be relevant to theshopper's needs. The invention facilitates the interaction between theshopper and consultants as well. Identification of potential consultantsis based on physical proximity (in the case of the in-store experience),willingness to consult, currency and specificity of experience andrecords of successful consultancy in the past. The invention helpscreate a spontaneous collaboration between shoppers and consultants toincrease the probability of a successful, satisfying shoppingexperience. Such an experience benefits the shopper, whose choices willbe made more quickly and will be more applicable to his or her needs.The experience benefits the consultant, in that interactions withshoppers are more likely to be within the consultant's areas ofexpertise. The experience also benefits the retailer, because of thelessened probability of expensive returns, greater sales potentialthrough reduced shopper uncertainty, and greater probability that theshopper will return.

It is to be noted that the present invention is not limited to retailshopping, but may be applied, in altered but obvious form, to any formof the acquisition of goods or services in which collaboration with aconsultant is desired.

Thus, one aspect of the invention is a method for automaticallydetermining the shopper's goals. The method includes a locatingoperation to determine the shopper's location in the store, or theshopper's current point of attention in an online store. The methodfurther comprises a categorization operation in which the shopper'slocation is correlated with a map of the store or online store so as toidentify the category of products the shopper is currently proximate to.Additionally, the current contents of the shopper's shopping cart areanalyzed and compared to the proximate products so as to determine acharacterization of the shopper's current goal. Additional qualifiersmay participate in this characterization; such as the length of time theshopper has been proximate to a product category and whether the shopperhas explicitly asked for help in making a choice. The shopper may alsoselect from a prioritized list of automatically determined goals.

Another aspect of the invention is a method for the characterization ofthe areas of consultant expertise of consultants. This characterizationcan be based on how recently a consultant purchased products of a givencategory, how often he or she purchased such products, and whether theconsultant advice given has been found by shoppers to be relevant andhelpful. The method also consists of a determination of the willingnessand capability of each consultant to give advice, based on physicalproximity, current workload and explicitly stated desire.

The combination of the above-mentioned methods is found sufficient todiscover whether the necessary and sufficient conditions for asuccessful consultancy are met. The invention concerns both methods forsuch discovery and services to provide such discovery.

Various steps and/or functions of the collaboration in the presentinvention are often coordinated by a service bureau. The foregoing andother features, utilities and advantages of the invention will beapparent from the following more particular description of variousembodiments of the invention as illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the presentinvention will become more apparent from the following detaileddescription when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary environment embodying the present inventionfor an in-store shopping experience;

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary environment embodying the present inventionfor an online shopping experience;

FIG. 3 shows the elements of the invention required to determine apotential consultant;

FIGS. 4A and 4B show the elements of the invention required to determinethe product sets to which the shopper is currently proximate, and aflowchart of the process;

FIGS. 5A and 5B show the elements of the invention required to determinethe product sets represented in the current contents of the shopper'sshopping cart, and a flowchart of the process;

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of the analysis procedure by which the shoppinggoal is determined;

FIG. 7A shows the elements of the invention required to discoverpotential consultants relevant to the shopping goal;

FIG. 7B shows a flowchart of the ranking procedure by which potentialconsultants are ranked in terms of their likely relevance to theshopper's goal; and

FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C show user interfaces allowing the shopper to choose,communicate with and rate one or more consultants;

DEFINITIONS

shopping cart—the term “shopping cart” refers to a part of the contextin which collaboration is desired, that part having to do withidentifiable resources that have been recently acquired by the shopper.The context also includes historical data pertaining to the current taskon which collaboration is desired, products and services that arerelevant to this task by reason of being physically or logicallyproximate to the shopper, any information pertinent to the current task,such as a shopping list, and other appropriate information.

consultant's shopping cart:—this term refers to a part of the context ofa given consultant, that part having to do with identifiable resourcesthat have been recently acquired by the consultant.

shopping experience—the purpose of shopping is to procure products,services or information most appropriate to a given task at the lowestcost. “Appropriate,” in this context, means accuracy, relevance,reliability and other such attributes.

suitable consultant to collaborate with—a consultant is suitable tocollaborate with if collaboration with that consultant is likely tosupply information enabling a better shopping experience. shopper [forinformation, goods etc.]—a shopper is an entity (a person or system)seeking to acquire products, services or information. The purpose ofacquiring these products, services or information is to further one ormore goals of the shopper.

consultant—a consultant is an entity (a person or system) from whichinformation can be obtained through collaboration.

collaboration—the act of collaboration consists of an exchange ofinformation between a shopper and a consultant, such that that exchangeincreases the probability of the shopper obtaining information enablinga better shopping experience. Collaboration generally requires apositive coincidence of interest between the shopper and the consultant.

coincidence of interest—a shopper and a consultant have coincidence ofinterest if the consultant has knowledge about the candidate products orinformation that the shopper is considering to acquire, or knowledgeabout the goals for which the shopper is considering the acquisition ofproducts or information. This knowledge may be used to enhance theshopping experience, in which case the coincidence of interest isreferred to as “positive,” or it may be used for other purposes. Onesuch purpose is to thwart the shopper, because the consultant may be ashopper as well, whose purpose is to obtain information and productsexclusively. If this is the case, the coincidence of interest isreferred to as “negative.”

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides systems, apparatus and methods forin-store and online retail experience by automatically identifyingconsultants whose expertise is likely to be relevant to a shopper'sneeds. The invention facilitates the interaction between the shopper andconsultants as well. Identification of potential consultants is based onphysical proximity (in the case of the in-store experience), willingnessto consult, currency and specificity of experience and records ofsuccessful consultancy in the past. The invention helps create aspontaneous collaboration between shoppers and consultants to increasethe probability of a successful, satisfying shopping experience. Such anexperience benefits the shopper, whose choices will be made more quicklyand will be more applicable to his or her needs. The experience benefitsthe consultant, in that interactions with shoppers are more likely to bewithin the consultant's areas of expertise. The experience also benefitsthe retailer, because of the lessened probability of expensive returns,greater sales potential through reduced shopper uncertainty, and greaterprobability that the shopper will return.

In an example embodiment, the present invention includes a method forautomatically determining the shopper's goals. The method includes alocating operation to determine the shopper's location in the store, orthe shopper's current point of attention in an online store. The methodfurther comprises a categorization operation in which the shopper'slocation is correlated with a map of the store or online store so as toidentify the category of products the shopper is currently proximate to.Additionally, the current contents of the shopper's shopping cart areanalyzed and compared to the proximate products so as to determine acharacterization of the shopper's current goal. Additional qualifiersmay participate in this characterization; such as the length of time theshopper has been proximate to a product category and whether the shopperhas explicitly asked for help in making a choice. The shopper may alsoselect from a prioritized list of automatically determined goals.

In another embodiment, the invention provides a method for thecharacterization of the areas of consultant expertise of consultants.This characterization can be based on how recently a consultantpurchased products of a given category, how often he or she purchasedsuch products, and whether the consultant advice given has been found byshoppers to be relevant and helpful. The method also consists of adetermination of the willingness and capability of each consultant togive advice, based on physical proximity, current workload andexplicitly stated desire.

The combination of the above-mentioned methods is found sufficient todiscover whether the necessary and sufficient conditions for asuccessful consultancy are met. The invention concerns both methods forsuch discovery and services to provide such discovery.

The foregoing and other features, utilities and advantages of theinvention will be apparent from the following more particulardescription of various embodiments of the invention as illustrated inthe accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary environment 50 embodying the presentinvention. It is initially noted that the environment 50 is presentedfor illustration purposes only, and is representative of countlessconfigurations in which the invention may be implemented. Thus, thepresent invention should not be construed as limited to the environmentconfigurations shown and discussed herein.

In one configuration of the invention, the environment 50 includes ashopper 12, a shopping cart 10, shelves 13 containing items 15 andpotential collaborators 20 and 22. Potential collaborators 20 and 22 areequipped with devices 21 and 23 that, in conjunction with in-storedevice 30 locate the position of collaborators 20 and 23 within thestore. In-store device 30 transmits the location of collaborators 20 and22 via in-store communication means 31 to a server computer 40, to whichis connected persistent storage means 41. Server computer 40 and storagemeans 41 need not be physically located within the store. Shopping cart10 is also equipped with device 11, which, in conjunction with in-storedevice 30 locates the shopping cart 10 within the store. In-store device30 transmits the location of shopping cart 10 via in-store communicationmeans 31 to a server computer 40. Shopping cart 10 is also equipped tosense its contents 14 and, via device 11, to transmit data identifyingits contents 14 to server computer 40 via in-store device 30 andin-store communication means 31.

By means of the components shown in FIG. 1, software in server computer40 can determine an approximation to the shopping goal of shopper 12, aswill be shown. Software running in server computer 40 can determine thecurrent location of potential collaborators 20 and 22 and storesprofiles of the expertise and experience of potential collaborators 20and 22, as well as the physical location of shopping cart 10. It isassumed that the physical location of shopper 12 is close to that ofshopping cart 10, although if this assumption is not found to be correctin a given area of application of the invention the shopper may beequipped with a wearable means of position determination. Softwarerunning in server computer 40 can then identify which, if any, potentialcollaborators 20 and 22 are both proximate to shopping cart 10 and havecurrent expertise and experience relevant to the shopping goal ofshopper 12.

In another configuration of the invention, shown in FIG. 2, theenvironment 100 consists of shopper 60 using PC 63, potential shoppingcollaborators 70 and 80, using PCs 73 and 83, respectively, PCs 63, 73and 83 connected to the Internet 65. Also connected to the Internet 65is server computer 90 with persistent storage 95. Software running inserver computer 90 maintains a web of pages 91 and the identification ofone page in that web 92 which is the object of the current attention ofshopper 60. This software also maintains a representation of a virtualshopping cart 93 with current contents 94. This software also maintainsa list of potential shopping collaborators 70 and 80. These potentialshopping collaborators 70 and 80 use means similar to that of shopper 60to access the Internet 65, namely PCs 73 and 83. These PCs and that ofshopper 60 are equipped with visual display devices 71, 81 and 61,respectively, and with interactive devices 72, 82 and 62, respectively.

Software in server computer 90 through its knowledge of the web page 92that is the object of current attention of shopper 60, and through itsknowledge of the current contents 94 of virtual shopping cart 93, canform an approximation of the shopping goal of shopper 60. Software inserver computer 90 can similarly evaluate the expertise and experienceof potential shopping collaborators 70 and 80, by accessing records ofexpertise and recent experience from storage device 95. Finally,software in server computer 90 can evaluate whether each of thepotential shopping collaborators 70 and 80 are currently online. Thispermits the software to determine which, if any, of the potentialshopping collaborators 70 and 80 is likely to be able to collaboratewith shopper 60 in furtherance of the shopper's goal.

FIG. 3 depicts the components of the invention required to determine apotential consultant. The shopping goal will be created in persistentstorage device 140 by software 135 running in server computer 40 ofFIG. 1. This software 135 is identified in FIG. 3 as a box labeled G.The software 135 receives two inputs 130 and 150 representing,respectively, the product set to which the shopper is currentlyproximate, and the product sets represented in the current contents ofthe shopper's cart. A product set represents a classification ofproducts into groups for purposes of abstracting the shopper's goal. Forexample, a specific product may be Irish Spring Aloe soap; the productset to which the product belongs may be soap for human cleaning. Theclassification of products into product sets is beyond the scope of thisinvention, although it is important in determining the shopper's goal.

Position-determining means 120 reports the shopper's current position121 to database software 125. The database itself resides in persistentstorage device 126. Database software 125, represented in FIG. 3 as abox labeled DBP, may run in server computer 40 of FIG. 1, withpersistent storage device 126 attached to that server computer, althoughother configurations of the system in which database software 125 andpersistent storage device 126 are in separate computers are feasible andpractical. Database software 125 reports a list of product sets 130.

Receiver 151 receives a list of the current contents of the shopper'scart 10 of FIG. 1 by means not shown in FIG. 3. This list 152 is used tointerrogate database software 155. Database software 155, represented inFIG. 3 as a box labeled DBQ, may run in server computer 40 of FIG. 1,with persistent storage device 156 attached to that server computer,although other configurations of the system in which database software155 and persistent storage device 156 are in separate computers arefeasible and practical. Database software 155 reports a list of productsets 150.

Once a list of shopping goals has been stored on persistent storagedevice 140, software 136 uses those goals, together with a database ofpotential consultants stored on persistent storage device 138, todetermine a rank-ordered list of potential consultants. This list isthen transmitted to shopping cart 10 of FIG. 1 via communication means137.

It is to be noted that FIG. 3 can be interpreted to apply to both thein-store and online shopping experiences. Position determining means 120in the in-store case determines the geographic position of the shopperin the store, while in the online case position determining means 120determines the logical position of the web page that is the currentobject of the shopper's attention in the map of web pages for the site.Similarly, receiving means 151 in the in-store case determines thecurrent contents of the shopper's physical cart, while in the onlinecase receiving means 151 determines the current contents of theshopper's virtual cart. The description here continues specific to thein-store case, but is equally applicable to the online case with theappropriate interpretation.

FIG. 4A illustrates system components and their interconnection todetermine the product set or sets to which the shopper is currentlyproximate. Location information 181 is received by receiving software182 through means not shown. Examples of such means are computer-baseddigital networks such as local area networks or the Internet. Locationinformation is typically specified in terms of geographic latitude,longitude and altitude or in x, y and z coordinates relative to adesignated point within a store. Location information 181 is input tosoftware process 183, which will use this information to determine theproduct sets to which the shopper is currently proximate, as will bedescribed subsequently. Software process 183 issues database inquiries184 to database software 185. These inquiries can be expressed in one ofmany forms, for example in the SQL language, documented in “AnIntroduction to Database Systems, Volume I,” fifth edition, by C. J.Date, published by the Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Reading,Mass., ISBN 0-201-51381-1. The database used by database software 185resides on persistent storage device 186. This database is preferablyimplemented as a relational database, described in the book by Date. Oneof the tables in this database 189 lists all of the products sold in thestore. For each product, the table 189, called the Master LocationTable, gives its product set and the geographic coordinates of itslocation in the store. If a product is offered for sale in more than onelocation in the store the product may be represented by a separate tablefor that product alone, and the Master Location Table 189 makesreference to that table rather than storing the product informationdirectly.

In operation, process 183 makes inquiry to database software 185 andreceives in response a list of product sets. That list 188 istransmitted via communication software 187 to software 135 of FIG. 3.FIG. 4B gives a flowchart for process 183 of FIG. 4A. The process beginsin block 200 where the process waits for the arrival of new coordinates.Coordinates can be supplied periodically or only if the shopper'sposition changes by an amount deemed significant. Decision block 201checks the coordinates for validity, for example if latitude, longitudeand altitude lie within the known boundaries of the store, and if theydo not, branch 205 is taken to block 206, where an error report isissued. Block 200 is then entered to wait for the next set ofcoordinates.

If the coordinates are found valid by decision block 201, branch 202 istaken to block 210. Block 210 translates the coordinates, if necessary.This translation is necessary if the coordinates in the Master LocationTable 189 of FIG. 4A are relative to a point in the store, whilecoordinates input to the process 183 of that figure are in absolutegeographic coordinates. Block 210 then creates a query using, forexample, the SQL query language, and in block 211 the query is issued tothe database. Block 211 waits for results from the database and whenthey arrive, checks to see if there are substantive results. There maybe no results because the store is not selling any products at the givenlocation. This is a valid response because, for example, the shopper maybe in the store's office. There may be no results because the givenlocation is not a valid location in the store; for example, the givencoordinates may correspond to the store's boiler room. In the lattercase, branch 212 is taken to block 206, wherein an error report isissued and block 200 subsequently entered.

If valid results are received from the database, branch 213 is taken toblock 214, where multiple results are coalesced if appropriate. As anexample, the presence of a given product set may have been reported bythe database multiple times. Although this may be suppressed through acertain formulation of the SQL query, if it has not been suppressed thenblock 214 can eliminate unnecessary duplication. After block 214completes, the results, consisting of a list of all of the product setsavailable in the given locality, are transmitted by block 215.Subsequently, block 200 is entered to wait for the next set ofcoordinates.

FIG. 5A illustrates system components and their interconnection todetermine the product set or sets from the shopping cart contents. Cartcontent information 221 is received by receiving software 230 throughmeans not shown. Examples of such means are wireless computer-baseddigital networks such as wireless local area networks. Cart contentinformation is typically specified in terms of stock control numbers, orSKUs. Cart content information 221 is input to software process 231,which will use this information to determine the product setsrepresented by the current contents of the shopping cart. Softwareprocess 231 issues database inquiries 232 to database software 233.These inquiries can be expressed in one of many forms, for example inthe SQL language, as previously noted. The database used by databasesoftware 232 resides on persistent storage device 234. This database ispreferably implemented as a relational database, described in the bookby Date. One of the tables in this database 235 lists all of theproducts sold in the store. For each product, the table 235, called theMaster Product Table, gives its SKU and its product set. If a product isin more than one product set the product may be represented by aseparate table for that product alone, and the Master Product Table 235makes reference to that table rather than storing the productinformation directly.

In operation, process 231 makes inquiry to database software 233 andreceives in response a list of product sets. That list is transmittedvia communication software 236 to software 135 of FIG. 3. FIG. 5B givesa flowchart for process 231 of FIG. 5A. The process begins in block 240where the process waits for the arrival of new SKUs. SKUs can besupplied periodically or only if the shopper's cart contents change byan amount deemed significant. Decision block 241 checks the SKUs forvalidity, and if they are not valid, branch 245 is taken to block 246,where an error report is issued. Block 240 is then entered to wait forthe next set of SKUs.

If the SKUs are found valid by decision block 241, branch 242 is takento block 250. Block 250 eliminates multiples; for example, if theshopper has placed more than one unit of a product in the shopping cart.Block 250 then creates a query using, for example, the SQL querylanguage, and in block 251 the query is issued to the database. Block251 waits for results from the database and when they arrive, checks tosee if there are valid results. There may be no valid results becausethe store may not be selling any products with the given SKU. This maybe, for example, because the shopper may have picked up an item that hasjust been withdrawn from sale. In the latter case, branch 252 is takento block 246, wherein an error report is issued and block 240subsequently entered.

If valid results are received from the database, branch 253 is taken toblock 254, where multiple results are coalesced if appropriate. As anexample, the presence of a given product set may have been reported bythe database multiple times. Although this may be suppressed through acertain formulation of the SQL query, if it has not been suppressed thenblock 254 can eliminate unnecessary duplication. After block 254completes, the results, consisting of a list of all of the product setsrepresented by the current contents of the shopping cart, aretransmitted by block 255. Subsequently, block 240 is entered to wait forthe next set of SKUs.

FIG. 6 concerns the processing performed by process 135 of FIG. 3.Processing begins when block 260 detects a trigger. This trigger can becreated by a timer, which creates the trigger periodically, or by analteration in the contents of the shopping cart, either by an additionto or a removal of a product. The trigger can also be created by achange in the location of the shopping cart. Combinations of the aboveelements can also be used to create the trigger; for example, a triggercan be created periodically and also if one or more of the events aboveoccur.

When the trigger is detected in block 260, block 261 is entered in whichproduct sets are obtained, as previously described. In addition, anyhistorical information known about the shopper is obtained in this blockby means not shown. Block 262 then determines overlaps between thevarious product sets. For example, if the shopper is proximate toproduct sets A and B, and if product set B is represented by the currentcontents of the shopping cart, product set B is deemed to be a potentialshopping goal. Block 263, which is optional, can create a weighted listof potential shopping goals based on the number and extent of overlaps.For example, if there are multiple representatives of product set Bcurrently in the shopping cart, product set B would be weighted higheron the list of potential shopping goals. Decision block 264 then checksto see if any history is known about the shopper. Typically, thishistory would be stored in a database that records past purchases,web-site activity and the like. If no such history is available branch265 is taken to bypass block 267. If history is available, block 267 isentered to modify the weighting or ranking of the various potentialshopping goals based on past behavior. For example, if it is known thatthe shopper has a history of past purchases of product set B, and if theshopper is proximate to products of product set B, and if the shoppingcart currently contains one or more units of a product in product set B,then the weighting of product set B as a potential shopping goal wouldbe significantly increased in block 267.

Block 268 then transmits the weighted or ranked list of potentialshopping goals to persistent storage device 140 of FIG. 3. This listwill be used subsequently in the selection of potential collaborators.

FIG. 7A illustrates system components and their interconnection todiscover a list of potential consultants from the list of shoppinggoals. Goal information 301 is received by receiving software 310through means not shown. Examples of such means are inter-programcommunication and computer-based digital networks such as local areanetworks. Goal information is specified in terms of product sets. Goalinformation 301 is input to software process 311, which will use thisinformation to determine which available consultants are the most likelyto be able to aid the shopper. Software process 311 issues databaseinquiries 312 to database software 313. These inquiries can be expressedin one of many forms, for example in the SQL language, as previouslynoted. The database used by database software 313 resides on persistentstorage device 314. This database is preferably implemented as arelational database, described in the book by Date. One of the tables inthis database 315 lists all of the available consultants. For eachconsultant, the table 315, called the Master Consultant Table, gives itsproduct set. If a consultant is experienced and knowledgeable in morethan one product set the consultant may be represented by a separatetable for that consultant alone, and the Master Consultant Table 315makes reference to that table rather than storing the consultantinformation directly.

In operation, process 311 makes inquiry to database software 313 andreceives in response a list of potential consultants. That list istransmitted via communication software 316 to shopping cart 10 ofFIG. 1. At that cart the shopper will review the list and may select aconsultant from it. FIG. 7B gives a flowchart for process 311 of FIG.7A. The process begins in block 320 where the process waits for thearrival of new goals. When new goals arrive, block 321 is entered toinitialize an index i, which selects goals from the goal list. Block 322then accesses the goal list to retrieve the i^(th) goal, and uses theproduct set from that goal to formulate an SQL query to the MasterConsultant Table 315 of FIG. 7A. In block 323 the database is queriedand results of the query received. The results of the query are a listof consultants with experience and knowledge of the given product set.Block 324 ranks the consultants and adds them to a list that willsubsequently be sent to shopping cart 10 of FIG. 1. Processing in block324 will be subsequently detailed.

Once the consultants relevant to the current shopping goal have beendetermined and ranked, block 325 checks to see if there are any moregoals, and if so, branch 329 is taken to block 330, where the index i isincremented. Processing then continues with block 322. If there are nomore goals, branch 328 is taken to block 326, where the list ofconsultants is merged. That is, if one consultant is relevant to morethan one shopping goal, duplicate appearances of that consultant areeliminated from the list. Finally, in block 327, the list is transmittedto shopping cart 10 of FIG. 1 for inspection and selection by theshopper.

The process performed in block 324 ranks the possibly multipleconsultants found by database query. The criteria that can be used forthis ranking are various. For example, physical proximity between theshopper and the consultant can be used, where closer physical proximityimplies a higher ranking. Past experience with the consultant may bestored in the Master Consultant Table, such that better past experienceimplies a higher ranking. Consultants with broad experience withmultiple product sets may be preferred over consultants with narrowerexperience, implying a higher ranking. Many means are known fordetermining a ranking from multiple criteria, and each may be useful ina particular case of use of the invention.

FIG. 8A shows a user interface typically displayed on a shopping cartfor consultant selection. The interface consists of a table of two rowsand two columns, the column headings being “shopping goal” and“available consultants.” Each of the two rows is devoted to a singleshopping goal. In the case of the topmost row, the shopping goal relatesto an electrical outlet. Two potential consultants, Arthur M and Anne K,are shown, each with a rating. Arthur M is rated higher than Anne K bothbecause he is presented topmost in the list of potential consultants andbecause his name is prefixed with two asterisks, indicating a highrating. For each potential consultant a qualifier is given after theconsultant's name. Arthur M is shown to be present in the store at thetime the user interface is shown to the shopper, while Anne K isavailable online. Arthur M's name is underlined, which is the conventionfor a clickable link.

FIG. 8B results when the clickable link for Arthur M is selected by theshopper. The user interface gives Arthur M's current location in thestore and gives the shopper a button to press to page him. At this pointthe shopper has the option of walking to the front of aisle 7 or, bypaging, to ask Arthur M. to come to the shopper's current location.

FIG. 8C is a user interface for the shopper to rate his or herinteraction with Arthur M. The interface consists of three sliders. Theshopper manipulates the triangle so as to indicate his or her impressionof the relevance of Arthur M to their shopping goal, the degree ofknowledge of Arthur M about the goal, and how helpful Arthur M was inhelping the shopper with that goal.

The implementation of the user interfaces depicted in FIGS. 8A, 8B and8C on the shopping cart is familiar to those skilled in the art, as arethe means by which shopping goals, consultant names and ratings may betransmitted between the shopping cart and server computer 40 of FIG. 1.It may be convenient in one form of the invention for the servercomputer 40 to create images for display on shopping cart 10 rather thanhaving software in shopping cart 10 interpret and create interactivedisplays. Many options exist for shopper interaction, including audiomessages and speech recognition, as well as display-orientedinteraction. Similarly, more complex negotiations for a consultant canbe conducted in which consultants bid to help a shopper, or in which aconsultant rejects a collaboration request for any of various reasons.

The foregoing description of the invention has been presented forpurposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, andother modifications and variations may be possible in light of the aboveteachings. It can be seen that the description given above provides asimple, but complete implementation of a system for facilitatingcollaboration during shopping. That is, embodiments have been presentedallowing a shopper to receive an automatically generated list ofpotential collaborators to assist in shopping.

In an enhanced embodiment, product sets determined to represent shoppinggoals may be used to access a database of tasks. For example, if thecurrent contents of the shopping cart includes an electrical outlet andelectrical cable, representing a product set containing electricalwiring components, and additionally if the current contents of theshopping cart include a table lamp, representing a product setcontaining lighting components, a database may be constructed in whichthe presence of both an electrical wiring product set and a lightingproduct set is associated with the task of installing additionalelectrical lighting. Knowledge of the task that the shopper is about toperform permits an enhanced collaboration with potential collaborators.

The embodiments described herein enable many forms of collaboration withmany kinds of collaborators. Collaborators can be employees of a store,other shoppers or other people physically present in or near the store.Collaborators can be people physically remote from the shopper,communicating with the shopper via various means including telephony,instant messaging, video-conferencing, e-mail or other means.Collaborators may also be computer-based agents, including databases andWeb services. The purposes for the collaboration are various, including,but not limited to, assistance in the selection of products,identification of products inadvertently omitted, avoidance of productsinappropriate to the task, avoidance of products that are known to beineffective or dangerous, and selection of the most cost-effectiveproducts. Thus, the embodiments disclosed were chosen and described inorder to best explain the principles of the invention and its practicalapplication to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilizethe invention in various embodiments and various modifications as aresuited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that theappended claims be construed to include other alternative embodiments ofthe invention except insofar as limited by the prior art.

There is said to exist a coincidence of interest when a common interestincludes a point of interest taken from a group of points of interestconsisting of: consultant's direct knowledge of the shopper's immediategoal; consultant's experience with said product, service or information;consultant's direct knowledge of said product, service or information;consultant's knowledge of correct product, service or information so asto minimize returns and rejection of said product, service orinformation; consultant's direct knowledge of justification ofsubstitution of a different product, service or information;consultant's direct knowledge of ways to increase the likelihood ofsatisfactory completion of the shopping experience; ways of satisfyingshopper's desire; ways to increasing the likelihood of additionaltransactions; and any combination of these and similar points ofinterest.

In some embodiments, the shopping collaboration is coordinated and/orrun by a service bureau. The service bureau may be involved in one ormore of the following: running the steps of collaboration; meteringusage; and determining, setting and/or collecting fees based on usageand/or the number of connections made between shoppers; and so forth.Fees may be incurred by shoppers, stores and/or consultants.

The invention includes a method comprising locating a collaborator basedon an automatic determination of likely coincidence of interests. Thestep of locating comprising: forming an estimate of a shopping interestof a shopper; estimating a consulting interest of at least oneconsultant; finding at least one common element between the shoppinginterest of the shopper and the consulting interest of said at least oneconsultant, said at least one common element forming a coincidence ofinterest; and selecting a collaborator from said at least one consultantbased on at least one selection criterion.

A selection criterion is selected from a group of criteria including:greatest coincidence of interest; priority element; greatest number ofelements; absence of elements indicating a lack of common interest;distance between shopper and consultant: communication link between saidshopper and consultant: language common to shopper and consultant: priorexperience with a given consultant, cost of consulting services; and anycombination of these and similar criteria.

In some embodiments of the method, at least one consultant is a humanexpert; and/or the step of forming an estimate of a shopping interest ofa shopper comprises at least one of: determining contents of theshopper's shopping cart; employing a geographic location of the shopperto determine products, services and information to which shopper iscurrently proximate; retrieving shopping history of the shopper, andforming an intersection of shopping interest to form a list of products,services and information for which the shopper has indicated interest;and/or the step of estimating a consulting interest of at least oneconsultant includes at least one of: determining contents of theconsultant's shopping cart, employing the geographic location of theconsultant to determine products, services and information to whichconsultant is currently proximate, retrieving shopping history of theconsultant, retrieving a database of consultant's knowledge, andincludes the step of forming an intersection of shopping interest toform a list of products, services and information for which consultanthas interest.

The present invention can be realized in hardware, software, or acombination of hardware and software. It may be implemented as a methodhaving steps to implement one or more functions of the invention, and/orit may be implemented as an apparatus having components and/or means toimplement one or more steps of a method of the invention described aboveand/or known to those skilled in the art. A visualization tool accordingto the present invention can be realized in a centralized fashion in onecomputer system, or in a distributed fashion where different elementsare spread across several interconnected computer systems. Any kind ofcomputer system—or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methodsand/or functions described herein—is suitable. A typical combination ofhardware and software could be a general purpose computer system with acomputer program that, when being loaded and executed, controls thecomputer system such that it carries out the methods described herein.The present invention can also be embedded in a computer programproduct, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation ofthe methods described herein, and which—when loaded in a computersystem—is able to carry out these methods.

Computer program means or computer program in the present contextinclude any expression, in any language, code or notation, of a set ofinstructions intended to cause a system having an information processingcapability to perform a particular function either directly or afterconversion to another language, code or notation, and/or afterreproduction in a different material form.

Thus the invention includes an article of manufacture which comprises acomputer usable medium having computer readable program code meansembodied therein for causing one or more functions described above. Thecomputer readable program code means in the article of manufacturecomprises computer readable program code means for causing a computer toeffect the steps of a method of this invention. Similarly, the presentinvention may be implemented as a computer program product comprising acomputer usable medium having computer readable program code meansembodied therein for causing a a function described above. The computerreadable program code means in the computer program product comprisingcomputer readable program code means for causing a computer to effectone or more functions of this invention. Furthermore, the presentinvention may be implemented as a program storage device readable bymachine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by themachine to perform method steps for causing one or more functions ofthis invention.

Thus, the invention includes an article of manufacture comprising acomputer usable medium having computer readable program code meansembodied therein for causing location of a collaborator, the computerreadable program code means in said article of manufacture comprisingcomputer readable program code means for causing a computer to effectthe step of locating a collaborator based on an automatic determinationof likely coincidence of shopping interests, the step of locatingcomprising: forming an estimate of a shopping interest of a shopper;estimating a consulting interest of at least one consultant; finding atleast one common element between the shopping interest of the shopperand the consulting interest of said at least one consultant, said atleast one common element forming a coincidence of interest; andselecting said collaborator from said at least one consultant based onat least one collaborator selection criterion.

The invention includes a program storage device readable by machine,tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machineto perform method steps for facilitating collaboration. It also includesa program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying aprogram of instructions executable by the machine to perform methodsteps for locating a collaborator.

Thus, the invention includes a shopping apparatus comprising means forenabling establishment of collaboration between a shopper and at leastone consultant, the means for enabling comprising: means forautomatically determining a shopping interest of the shopper; means forautomatically determining a likelihood that a specific consultant canand will provide relevant information; means for ranking each of said atleast one consultant based on the likelihood of receiving advice helpfulto said shopper from that consultant; means for the shopper selecting atleast one consultant from said at least one consultant; and means forestablishing communication between the shopper and said at least oneconsultant for soliciting and obtaining said advice. In some embodimentsthe apparatus further comprises means for evaluating advice receivedfrom a given consultant; and means for storing said advice.

The invention includes a n apparatus for characterization of areas ofconsultant expertise of consultants, the apparatus comprising: means forobtaining information on how recently a consultant purchased products ofa given category, and how often the consultant purchased the products,means for determining whether consultant advice given has been found byshoppers to be relevant and helpful in the past; means for determining awillingness and capability of each consultant to give advice, based onphysical proximity, current workload and explicitly stated desire; andmeans for assigning a score to each consultant based on the information,willingness and capability. In some embodiments, the apparatus furthercomprises means for analyzing the information to determine whethernecessary and sufficient conditions for a successful consultancy aremet.

The invention includes a method for locating a shopping collaborator fora shopper. The step of locating the shopping collaborator is based on anautomatic determination of likely coincidence of shopping interests ofsaid shopper and said shopping collaborator, the step of locatingcomprising: forming an estimate of a shopping interest of a shopper;determining a consulting interest of at least one consultant; finding atleast one common element between the shopping interest of the shopperand the consulting interest of said at least one consultant, said atleast one common element forming a coincidence of interest; andselecting said collaborator from said at least one consultant based onat least one collaborator selection criterion.

It is noted that the foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinentobjects and embodiments of the present invention. This invention may beused for many applications. Thus, although the description is made forparticular arrangements and methods, the intent and concept of theinvention is suitable and applicable to other arrangements andapplications. It will be clear to those skilled in the art thatmodifications to the disclosed embodiments can be effected withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. The describedembodiments ought to be construed to be merely illustrative of some ofthe more prominent features and applications of the invention. Otherbeneficial results can be realized by applying the disclosed inventionin a different manner or modifying the invention in ways known to thosefamiliar with the art.

1. A method for facilitating collaboration comprising: obtaininginformation regarding a shopper, said information being relevant to aselection of a consultant for a shopping experience; obtaininginformation regarding at least one suitable consultant to collaboratewith the shopper regarding the shopping experience; determining acoincidence of interest between said shopper and said at least oneconsultant; and indicating to said shopper and to said at least oneconsultant the coincidence of interest.
 2. A method as recited in claim1, wherein said shopper and said at least one consultant are physicallyproximate
 3. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising saidshopper establishing a communications link with said at least oneconsultant.
 4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein said link is avoice link.
 5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step ofindicating includes indicating at least one identity taken from a groupof identities consisting of: identity of the shopper, identity of saidat least one consultant, and identity of the coincidence of interest. 6.A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said shopping experienceincludes obtaining at least one of: a product, a service andinformation.
 7. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein said coincidenceof interest includes a point of interest taken from a group of points ofinterest consisting of: consultant's direct knowledge of the shopper'simmediate goal; consultant's experience with said product, service orinformation; consultant's direct knowledge of said product, service orinformation; consultant's knowledge of correct product, service orinformation so as to minimize returns and rejection of said product,service or information; consultant's direct knowledge of justificationof substitution of a different product, service or information;consultant's direct knowledge of ways to increase the likelihood ofsatisfactory completion of the shopping experience; ways of satisfyingshopper's desire; particular shopper's interest; ways to increasing thelikelihood of additional transactions; and any combination of thesepoints of interest.
 8. A method comprising locating a collaborator basedon an automatic determination of likely coincidence of interests, thestep of locating comprising: forming an estimate of a shopping interestof a shopper; estimating a consulting interest of at least oneconsultant; finding at least one common element between the shoppinginterest of the shopper and the consulting interest of said at least oneconsultant, said at least one common element forming a coincidence ofinterest; and selecting a collaborator from said at least one consultantbased on at least one selection criterion.
 9. A method as recited inclaim 8, wherein said at least one selection criterion is selected froma group of criteria consisting of: greatest coincidence of interest;priority element; greatest number of elements; absence of elementsindicating a lack of common interest; distance between shopper andconsultant; communication link between said shopper and consultant;language common to shopper and consultant; prior experience with a givenconsultant, cost of consulting services; and any combination of thesecriteria.
 10. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least oneconsultant is a human expert.
 11. A method as recited in claim 8,wherein the step of forming an estimate of a shopping interest of ashopper comprises at least one step from a group of steps consisting of:determining contents of the shopper's shopping cart; employing ageographic location of the shopper to determine products, services andinformation to which shopper is currently proximate; retrieving shoppinghistory of the shopper, and forming an intersection of shopping interestto form a list of products, services and information for which theshopper has indicated interest.
 12. A method as recited in claim 8,wherein the step of estimating a consulting interest of at least oneconsultant includes at least one of: determining contents of theconsultant's shopping cart; employing the geographic location of theconsultant to determine products, services and information to whichconsultant is currently proximate; retrieving shopping history of theconsultant; retrieving a database of consultant's knowledge, and formingan intersection of shopping interest to form a list of products,services and information for which consultant has interest.
 13. Anarticle of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium havingcomputer readable program code means embodied therein for causingfacilitation of collaboration, the computer readable program code meansin said article of manufacture comprising computer readable program codemeans for causing a computer to effect the steps of: obtaininginformation regarding a shopper, said information being relevant to aselection of a consultant for a shopping experience; obtaininginformation regarding at least one suitable consultant to collaboratewith the shopper regarding the shopping experience; determining acoincidence of interest between said shopper and said at least oneconsultant; and indicating to said shopper and to said at least oneconsultant the coincidence of interest.
 14. An article of manufacturecomprising a computer usable medium having computer readable programcode means embodied therein for causing location of a collaborator, thecomputer readable program code means in said article of manufacturecomprising computer readable program code means for causing a computerto effect the step of locating a collaborator based on an automaticdetermination of likely coincidence of shopping interests, the step oflocating comprising: forming an estimate of a shopping interest of ashopper; estimating a consulting interest of at least one consultant;finding at least one common element between the shopping interest of theshopper and the consulting interest of said at least one consultant,said at least one common element forming a coincidence of interest; andselecting said collaborator from said at least one consultant based onat least one collaborator selection criterion.
 15. A program storagedevice readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructionsexecutable by the machine to perform method steps for facilitatingcollaboration, said method steps comprising the steps of claim
 1. 16. Aprogram storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a programof instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps forlocating a collaborator, said method steps comprising the steps of claim8.
 17. A shopping apparatus comprising means for enabling establishmentof collaboration between a shopper and at least one consultant, themeans for enabling comprising: means for automatically determining ashopping interest of the shopper; means for automatically determining alikelihood that a specific consultant can and will provide relevantinformation; means for ranking each of said at least one consultantbased on the likelihood of receiving advice helpful to said shopper fromthat consultant; means for the shopper selecting at least one consultantfrom said at least one consultant; and means for establishingcommunication between the shopper and said at least one consultant forsoliciting and obtaining said advice.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17,further comprising: means for evaluating advice received from a givenconsultant; and means for storing said advice.
 19. A computer programproduct comprising a computer usable medium having computer readableprogram code means embodied therein for causing facilitation ofcollaboration, the computer readable program code means in said computerprogram product comprising computer readable program code means forcausing a computer to effect the functions of claim
 17. 20. An apparatusfor characterization of areas of consultant expertise of consultants,the apparatus comprising: means for obtaining information on howrecently a consultant purchased products of a given category, and howoften the consultant purchased the products, means for determiningwhether consultant advice given has been found by shoppers to berelevant and helpful in the past; means for determining a willingnessand capability of each consultant to give advice, based on physicalproximity, current workload and explicitly stated desire; and means forassigning a score to each consultant based on the information,willingness and capability.
 21. An apparatus as recited in claim 20,further comprising means for analyzing the information to determinewhether necessary and sufficient conditions for a successful consultancyare met.
 22. A computer program product comprising a computer usablemedium having computer readable program code means embodied therein forcausing facilitation of collaboration, the computer readable programcode means in said computer program product comprising computer readableprogram code means for causing a computer to effect the functions ofclaim
 21. 23. A method comprising locating a shopping collaborator for ashopper, the step of locating the shopping collaborator based on anautomatic determination of likely coincidence of shopping interests ofsaid shopper and said shopping collaborator, the step of locatingcomprising: forming an estimate of a shopping interest of a shopper;determining a consulting interest of at least one consultant; finding atleast one common element between the shopping interest of the shopperand the consulting interest of said at least one consultant, said atleast one common element forming a coincidence of interest; andselecting said collaborator from said at least one consultant based onat least one collaborator selection criterion.
 24. A program storagedevice readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructionsexecutable by the machine to perform method steps for locating ashopping collaborator, said method steps comprising the steps of claim23.
 25. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the collaboration iscoordinated by a service bureau.
 26. A method as recited in claim 25,wherein the service bureau is involved in at least one of the followingfunctions: running the steps of collaboration; metering usage; anddetermining fees, setting fees based on usage; setting fees based on anumber of connections made between shoppers; and collecting fees.
 26. Amethod as recited in claim 25, wherein fees are incurred by at least oneof: shoppers, stores and consultants.
 27. A method as recited in claim8, wherein the step of locating a collaborator is coordinated by aservice bureau.
 28. A method as recited in claim 23, wherein the step oflocating a collaborator is coordinated by a service bureau.